AP US Gov + Pol Cha 6 Vocab

Political ideology

A set of political ideas and beliefs on how society should function in achieving and prioritizing goals and methods; influenced by generational effects and life cycle effects, political events, political socialization

Political culture

An overall set of values widely shared within a culture

Demographics

The science of population changes

Political socialization

The process by which individuals develop political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors; family, schools, peers, media, and social environments (including civic and religious organizations) contribute to the development of an individual’s political attitudes and values

Agents of socialization

Various influences that shape an individual’s political beliefs and behaviors, including family, schools, and media

Generational effects

Experiences shared by people of a common age

Life-cycle effects

Experiences a person encounters during different life stages

Polling

Process of surveying a specific group of individuals on their opinions, beliefs, or preferences

Scientific polling

A human research survey of public opinion using statistical information to randomly select representative respondents and obtain timely results through unbiased questioning

Sample polling

Surveying a small group of people to represent a population

Random sample

A key technique employed by survey researchers, which operates on the principal that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample

Stratified sample

A statistical method used to ensure subgroups in a population are represented in a sample

Sampling error

The level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. The more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results

Poll validity

How much trust can be put in a poll

Opinion poll

Measuring public opinion on various issues

Benchmark poll

Creating baseline views of a candidate

Tracking poll

Following how views of a candidate change during a campaign

Entry/exit polls

Collecting data on why people voted the way they did

Keynesian economics

Named after English economist John Maynard Keynes, the theory emphasizing that government spending and deficits can help the economy deal with its ups and downs. Proponents of his theory advocate using the power of government to stimulate the economy when it is lagging

Supply side economics

An economic theory, first applied during the Regan administration, holding that the key task for fiscal policy is to stimulate the supply of goods, as by cutting tax rates

Monetary policy

Consists of actions taken by the Federal Reserve (the Fed) to influence interest rates which affect broader economic conditions

Fiscal policy

Consists of actions taken by Congress and the president to influence economic conditions and includes Keynesian and supply-side positions

Party platform (Democrat)

A major political party that generally aligns more closely to liberal ideological positions ; D or DEM

Party platform (Republican)

A major political party that generally aligns more closely to conservative ideological positions ; R or GOP

Liberal ideology

Favor more governmental regulation of the marketplace ; generally favor more national government involvement to address some social issues such as education and public health, with less responsibility for these issues left to state governments

Conservative ideology

Favor fewer regulations in the marketplace ; generally favor less national government involvement to address some social issues such as education and public health, with more responsibility for these issues left to state governments

Libertarian ideology

Favor little or no regulation of the marketplace beyond the protection of property rights and voluntary trade ; generally favor little national or state government involvement except when national or state government is protecting private property or individual liberty

Horserace journalism

Journalism that focuses more on who’s winning than candidate’s policy agenda or debates